Swansea City have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Thomas Henry to the Liberty Stadium this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a claim made by Wales Online journalist Tom Coleman, who revealed in a post on Twitter that Steve Cooper's side are indeed interested in a move for the Oud-Heverlee Leuven centre-forward in the upcoming transfer window, although a deal for the 26-year-old could be out of the Swans' price range.

Topmercato reported last week that the terms of a contract between Swansea and the £4.5m-rated striker were nearing completion, although talks with the Jupiler Pro League regarding a transfer fee were ongoing.

Cooper will be furious

Considering the fact that Swansea will be without the services of their top goalscorer Andre Ayew as of next season, with the club confirming the 31-year-old will be leaving the Liberty Stadium at the end of his current deal in the coming weeks, the news that the club could be priced out of a move for Henry will undoubtedly leave Cooper furious.

Indeed, after looking at the Frenchman's goalscoring record from last season, he would appear to be an excellent candidate to replace the Swans' talisman of the past few years.

Over his 31 Jupiler Pro League appearances last term, the 26-year-old scored 21 goals, registered five assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.5 shots and making 1.3 key passes per game.

These returns saw the centre-forward earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as Marc Brys' fifth-best performer in the Belgian top flight.

As such, it is unsurprising to learn that Oud-Heverlee Leuven are demanding a substantial fee to part with one of their star players this summer.

However, considering just how impressive Henry appears to be in front of goal, he would very much seem to be worth the Swansea owners stumping up for this summer - as the forward could well be the difference between earning promotion to the Premier League and yet another season languishing in the second tier of English football.

In other news: Cooper must sanction Swansea City summer swoop for "outstanding" £7.2m-rated beast